Nicholas Brendon returns to Dr. Phil after walking out of August appearance

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Nicholas Brendon, an actor best known from playing Xander Harris on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” made headlines when he walked out of a taping of “Dr. Phil” in August 2015. After being asked about his troubles with alcoholism, Brendon made the choice to leave the taping.

But now Brendon is back, and on the Tuesday (Dec. 1) “Dr. Phil” episode, he opens up to host Phil McGraw about his choice to leave the original taping and why he’s decided to return. “You said, ‘I need the kind of help that Dr. Phil can provide,” McGraw quotes Brendon.

“You know, I feel a lot better than I did last time,” Brendon begins, but unfortunately for the star, he seems to still be struggling with his sobriety. However, he’s much more open about receiving help — even if it comes from a guy with a TV show.

Brendon discusses how unsuccessful stints in rehab dating back to 2003, a September 2015 arrest, and a suicide attempt on Sept. 22 made the actor realize that he was in an incredibly dark place and he needed a change. “I think I’m also afraid to ask for help,” Brendon explains. “You just think you can do it on your own.”

After the unsuccessful August taping, Brendon took to Facebook to describe why he decided to leave. “When I was in that seat, I felt that Dr. Phil went for the jugular, talking about some of my recent mistakes, with no build up. I felt that he wanted me to lay the darkest parts of myself on national TV right from the start, and I’m not willing to do that.”

Now, he seems to have a different perspective. “I look at my life and I just think how things could have been different. And I don’t want to get caught in that cycle.”